Toonami is an animation programming block geared towards action-oriented programming, primarily consisting of Americananimation and Japaneseanime. Originally an afternoon and evening block on Cartoon Network and ended on September 20, 2008, it is now (as of May 18, 2012) a late Saturday night adult-orientated animation block on Adult Swim. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by Williams Street. The name is a portmanteau of the words "cartoon" and "tsunami", suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated shows.

Toonami was Cartoon Network's primary action-animation block. The block premiered on March 17, 1997. It initially replaced Power Zone, Cartoon Network's most recent incarnation of the Super Adventures block, which had been a staple on the network since October 1, 1992. Toonami was originally a weekday afternoon cartoon and action block hosted by Space Ghost villain-turned-producer Moltar (voiced by C. Martin Croker) at the Ghost Planet Industries building from 1997 to July 9, 1999.

On Saturday, July 10, 1999, Cartoon Network relaunched Toonami with a new environment, the Ghost Planet Spaceship Absolution, and a new host named T.O.M. (voiced by Sonny Strait), which introduced viewers to him with this speech:

“

So it's a brand new Toonami, but the mission objectives remain the same. My name is TOM. I'm the new Moltar. Welcome aboard the Ghost Planet Spaceship Absolution, Cartoon Network's first and only interstellar broadcast and exploration vehicle. I'll give you the tour later. From this day forward she is completely responsible for all Toonami transmissions. I'm takin' you guys into the new millennium! No big changes now, same show, same attitude; new place to do it, new guy to do it with. I'm not going to waste any more time, let's get back into it. Later.

”

Also introduced that day was the Midnight Run, a late night block. It was originally a five-hour Saturday night block (technically Sunday) at midnight EST until March 2000, when it moved to weeknights in an hour-long format until January 2003. It ran from 1999 to 2003, broadcast from 12:00 am EST to 5:00 am from 1999 to 2000, when it was moved to the weekdays and ran from 12:00 am to 1:00 am until 2003.[citation needed] It consisted of anime such as Speed Racer, Voltron, Robotech, Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, G Gundam, Gundam 08th MS Team, and Outlaw Star. Midnight Run tended to have more blood and violence than its daytime counterpart, at one point even running an uncut version of Gundam Wing.[2] One special edition that started on Friday, August 31, 2001, featured music videos from Gorillaz including "Clint Eastwood" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", Kenna's "Hellbent," and from Daft Punk's Interstella 5555.[3] Another event was Dragon Ball Z taking over the Midnight Run for a week starting on March 26–30, 2001.

Starting in September 2000, Toonami presented special interactive events known as Total Immersion Events (TIEs). These TIEs took place both on-air during Toonami and online at the official site, Toonami.com, and always occurred the week that the block's most popular series, Dragon Ball Z,[4] returned for a new season. The first TIE was The Intruder, which introduced T.O.M.'s companion, an AI matrix known as S.A.R.A. (voiced by Sally Timms). The Intruder was an eight episode mini-series that aired during Toonami from September 18–27, 2000. It involved the Absolution being attacked by an alien blob known only as "the Intruder", which ultimately devoured T.O.M.

Though The Intruder resulted in the destruction of T.O.M., he was soon after upgraded by S.A.R.A. from a short Bomberman-esque character to a taller, sleeker, deeper-voiced incarnation dubbed T.O.M. 2 (voiced by Steven Blum, who has since been the voice of all subsequent incarnations of the character).

A Saturday morning incarnation, Toonami Rising Sun, ran from 2000 to 2003 at 9:00 am to noon. It later ran from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, then 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. This block was somewhat hampered to avoid competing with sister network Kids' WB.

From July 30, 2001, until June 28, 2002, Kids WB aired a Toonami block that was, more or less, the Kids' WB lineup with the Toonami name. It was critically panned by industry observers, who noticed that the action branding of the block - which had added shows such as Generation O!, Scooby-Doo, and The Nightmare Room, a live-action series created by Goosebumps author R. L. Stine - did not translate content-wise. In spring 2002, Kids' WB announced that they would drop the Toonami name from their weekday lineup, once again making the Toonami brand exclusive to Cartoon Network.

The TIE, Lockdown, aired between September 17–21, 2001, and included the introduction of CartoonNetwork.com's first MMORPG, as well as a record-breaking amount of page views and ratings for the network.[5] In Lockdown T.O.M. fights to save the Absolution from an attack by a giant trash compactor.[6]Trapped in Hyperspace, the next TIE, ran the week of September 16–20, 2002. The ship's computer, SARA, is infected by a computer virus named Swayzak, and TOM is trapped in hyperspace. He manages to defeat Swayzak before the Absolution hits Earth.[7]

In March 2003, TOM was revamped into a muscular, more teenage looking self. This was explained in-universe as him being rebuilt after fighting a space pirate. TOM 3 focused on staying in shape, seen when he works out at the beginning of the 2005 Summer Kick-Off Special. TOM's voice was also changed; he sounded more human and teenage-like.

The TIE in September 2003 was different from the previous ones - it introduced a new, 2D universe. Immortal Grand Prix (IGPX), created by Toonami producers Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco, and produced by anime studio Production I.G, aired in five short installments, serving as a pilot for the second Toonami original series, which premiered in November 2005[9]

On April 17, 2004, Toonami was moved from weekday afternoons to a Saturday evening slot, where it aired regularly for four hours starting at 7:00 pm EST.[10] It aimed for a new demographic of preteen and teen audiences, while adding a new lighter-toned action block, Miguzi, to weekdays in its place.[10] Toonami also replaced the block known as Saturday Video Entertainment System (SVES). One reason for the move from weekdays to Saturday nights was because some of the shows on the weekday lineup became too violent for a weekday broadcast on the network. The new Toonami lineup showcased anime such as Naruto, Rave Master, Duel Masters, Gundam SEED, One Piece, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Zatch Bell, and Pokémon Chronicles, as well as premiered North American productions including Teen Titans, Megas XLR, Justice League Unlimited, and IGPX, Toonami's first and only original production co-produced by Production I.G and Bandai Entertainment. SARA got a full body during this period, and became more anime-esque.

Although Megas XLR was the first original American-made franchise to actually debut on the block, it was initially a Cartoon Network original that was planned to air on Friday nights. Other Cartoon Network action properties, namely Samurai Jack, s-CRY-ed, Teen Titans, and Justice League, aired on Toonami, but were not exclusive to the block until their final seasons.

On January 27, 2007, a teaser commercial aired during the Xiaolin Showdown marathon on Cartoon Network, featuring closeup shots of larger Clydes (the remote robot explorers that have been a fixture of Toonami since the beginning) along with the date "3/17/07" and T.O.M.'s chest emblem glowing blue. On March 17, Toonami celebrated its 10th anniversary with a new packaging and numerous montages celebrating the block. T.O.M. was revamped into a shorter robot, who was a commander of a jungle control room and aided by two new robots, Flash (Dave Wittenberg) and D (Tom Kenny). The montages included a look at past hosts, former logos, and a decade's worth of clips and voice-overs from shows that aired on Toonami. There were a total of four montages, each with different clips, and three were one minute long.

As part of the anniversary (and to coincide with Cartoon Network's March Movie Madness event), Toonami planned another month of movies:

On September 20, 2008,[11] at the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention in Atlanta, Georgia, Cartoon Network announced that they had cancelled the Toonami block due to low ratings. Toonami then aired its final broadcast later that same evening. Employees who worked on the block moved to other parts of the channel, except for Dennis Moloney, who left Turner to work for Disney. Toonami Jetstream remained with the Toonami name until January 30, 2009. At the end of Toonami's final airing, T.O.M. 4 ended the block with a brief, final monologue, backed by the song "Cascade" by Tycho:

“

Well, this is the end, beautiful friends. After more than 11 years, this is Toonami's final broadcast. It's been a lot of fun, and we'd like to thank each and every one of you who made this journey with us. Toonami wouldn't have been anything without you. Hopefully, we've left you with some good memories. So, until we meet again, stay gold.Bang.[12]

”

After the cessation of Toonami's broadcast operations on TV, Toonami Jetstream's subsequent shut down in 2009 ended the use of the "Toonami" brand name until 2012.

On April 1, 2012, Adult Swim aired the Toonami block for their annual April Fools' Day prank.[13] After airing that week's scheduled episode of Bleach, the Toonami-related programming continued throughout the night, featuring shows such as Dragon Ball Z, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Outlaw Star, and YuYu Hakusho. The following day, Adult Swim posted a message to their Twitter page, simply stating, "Want it back? Let us know. #BringBackToonami".[14] On April 4, Adult Swim followed up this tweet with one stating, "#BringBackToonami We've heard you. Thank you for your passion and interest - stay tuned."[15] On April 8, Adult Swim aired two bumpers about the Toonami tweets and answered with "[we're listening]" and "[we're looking into it]".[16]

On May 16, Adult Swim posted a message on Facebook announcing that Toonami would return on May 26.[17] The network issued a press release later that day confirming the block's revival as a Saturday late-night action block.[18] Toonami made its return on May 26, with an initial lineup consisting of current Adult Swim Action programs, along with premieres of Deadman Wonderland and Casshern Sins. On August 18, Samurai 7 and Eureka Seven replaced Deadman Wonderland and Cowboy Bebop. In essence, the revived block is very similar to the midnight-run of the original, airing uncut programming as well as having more mature themes.[19]

On September 26, it was announced that Toonami would expand to a full six hours on October 6, and that Sym-Bionic Titan and ThunderCats would be added to the block.[20]Tenchi Muyo! GXP was announced as the next premiere on November 3, as was the return of Inuyasha.[21] On November 22, it was announced that Toonami would air uncut episodes of Naruto. Additionally, it was confirmed that Bleach would enter reruns for eight weeks, beginning on December 1.[22]

On January 6, 2013, Toonami introduced a new blue color scheme, after using a similar scheme to introduce Inuyasha on November 3 of the previous year. New episodes of Bleach began on January 26. On February 16, Soul Eater began airing on Toonami, replacing Samurai 7.[23] During Momocon, new designs for both T.O.M and the Absolution were unveiled, along with the announcement that overall design of the block would be changed.[24] It was also announced that Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone would air on March 17,[25] and that One Piece would be added to the lineup on May 18.[26] On March 26, it was announced that the Toonami original series IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix would return to the block on April 27.

On April 27, Toonami premiered its new look, featuring the return of supporting host S.A.R.A. (now voiced by Dana Swanson), after being removed in 2007. On May 24, Aniplex of America revealed that Sword Art Online would air on Toonami.[27] On June 26, it was revealed via the official Toonami tumblr that Sword Art Online would premiere on July 27, and that ThunderCats would be replaced by the second season of The Big O on the same day.[28] On July 30, it was announced that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would replace Eureka Seven on August 17, and that Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance would air on August 31.[29][30] On September 26, it was announced that both FLCL and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex would start on October 26, replacing The Big O and Cowboy Bebop, respectively.[31] It was further announced on September 29 that the rights to Cowboy Bebop would expire following its current run.[32] On October 25, a three-week series of movies was announced, to air in December in lieu of regular programming. It was also announced that Space Dandy would premiere on the block in early January, before the Japanese premiere of the show, and that Toonami would expand to the 11:30 PM hour in early January.[33] On November 6, it was announced that Naruto would be leaving the block on November 30, with Naruto: Shippuden premiering January 4.[34] It was announced on November 15 that the films Akira, Summer Wars, and Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa would air on December 7, 14, 21, respectively, and that Trigun: Badlands Rumble would now air on December 28.[35] On November 22, it was announced that Blue Exorcist would premiere on Toonami on February 22, 2014.[36]

On January 24, 2014, it was announced that Black Lagoon would premiere on March 22.[37] It was announced on February 25 that Sym-Bionic Titan would replace InuYasha, the rights to which were lost. In addition, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood would not air that night, due to the loss of an hour.[38]

Toonami introduced a new look on April 6. This new look also featured the return of the Ninja Tune record label to Toonami.[39] On April 12 Toonami announced that Attack on Titan would premiere on May 3.[40] On April 16, it was announced that Beware the Batman would air on the block starting May 10.[41] At Momocon 2014, Dragon Ball Z Kai was announced to premiere on Toonami in the fall. Cowboy Bebop was also announced to return later in the year.[42] On July 20, it was announced that Gurren Lagann would premiere on Toonami on August 16.[43] A marathon of Attack on Titan was also announced for August 30.[44] On August 23, Toonami announced that they acquired the rights to Hellsing Ultimate and would debut the show on September 13.[45]

On September 16, it was announced that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would be leaving the block on September 20.[46] On Toonami announced on September 22 that both Beware the Batman and Sym-Bionic Titan would be leaving the block permanently, and that the remaining seven episodes of Beware the Batman would air as a marathon on September 27.[47] On September 28, it was announced that Dragon Ball Z Kai would replace premieres of Bleach on November 8.[48] It was also announced that the month of movies would return in December.[49] On October 24, it was announced that Hellsing Ultimate would end its run at Episode 8 due to licensing issues. It was also announced that Inuyasha: The Final Act and Bleach would begin on November 8.[50] The movie schedule for December was announced on November 8. Premiering movies were announced to be Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, and the final two episodes of Hellsing Ultimate. Returning movies were announced to be Summer Wars, Akira, Evangelion: 1.1 You Are (Not) Alone, and Evangelion: 2.2 You Can (Not) Advance.[51] On December 5, Toonami announced the return of both Deadman Wonderland and IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix. It was also announced that Cowboy Bebop would be broadcast in high definition from January 3 on.[52]

On January 16, 2015, it was announced during the Aniplex panel at Otakon Vegas that Kill la Kill would premiere on February 7.[53] On January 23, it was announced that Toonami would lose the 5:00 AM hour.[54] It was further announced on January 27 that the Toonami lineup would be reduced to 12:00 AM to 3:30 AM.[55] Though this change has raised concerns among viewers over the future of the block, Jason DeMarco has expressed in an interview on the Toonami Faithful Podcast that he believes the time cut a relief, as the revived block was originally envisioned as, and was intended to stay as, a 3-hour block, a shorter block being far easier to maintain by Toonami's limited staff as opposed to the extended version, which he deemed "unstable".[56] It was announced on February 14 that Sword Art Online II would premiere on March 28, replacing Gurren Lagann.[57] On March 13, it was announced that Attack on Titan would return on March 28, replacing Deadman Wonderland.[58][59] On April 30, it was announced that Kill la Kill will have a marathon on May 23.[60] On May 30, it was announced during their 2015 MomoCon panel that Michiko & Hatchin would premiere on June 20, and that Akame ga Kill! would premiere on August 8.[61] On June 23, a Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon was announced for July 4.[62] On July 2, it was announced during the Sentai Filmworks panel at Anime Expo that Parasyte -the maxim- would premiere on October 3.[63] On August 14, it was announced that Michiko & Hatchin would have a marathon on September 5.[64] On September 15, it was announced that Kill la Kill would return to the block on October 3, replacing Attack on Titan.[65] On October 15, a Akame ga Kill! marathon was announced for October 31.[66]

Intruder II, the first Total Immersion Event since Toonami's 2012 revival, began on November 7 and concluded on December 20, with Sonny Strait reprising his role as the original T.O.M. The Total Immersion Event aired in-between showings of Dragon Ball Z Kai (reminiscent of how the original TIEs would air), and with its conclusion came an updated look for the block.[67] On November 20, It was announced that Toonami would have marathons for Dragon Ball Z Kai and One Piece on December 19 and 26, respectively.[68] It was further announced that Parasyte -the maxim- would have a marathon on November 29.[69] On December 2, Adult Swim announced that a new season of Samurai Jack would premiere on Toonami sometime in 2016.[70] On December 13, it was announced that Samurai Champloo would premiere on January 2 at 1:30 AM, replacing Michiko & Hatchin.[71]

On February 12, it was announced that Dimension W would premiere on February 27, replacing Akame ga Kill.[72] On March 24, it was announced that FLCL would be returning for two more seasons in late 2017 or early 2018, thanks to in part to a co-production between Adult Swim and Production I.G.[73] On April 1, it was announced during Toonami Pre-Flight, that Hunter × Hunter (2011) would premiere on April 16, replacing Parasyte -the maxim-, which moved to the 3:00 AM timeslot in reruns, replacing Kill la Kill.[74] On May 10, it was announced that Dragon Ball Z Kai would air for one hour on May 21 and Samurai Champloo will have a marathon on May 28.[75] On May 12, it was revealed through Turner Broadcasting System that Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans would premiere on June 4, replacing Dimension W.[76][77] On May 28, it was announced that Toonami would air a half hour earlier at 11:30PM to 3:00AM starting on June 4.[78] On June 22, it was announced that Hunter × Hunter would have a marathon on July 2.[79][80]

On July 1, it was announced during their Anime Expo panel that One-Punch Man would premiere on July 16, replacing Samurai Champloo,[81] along with the announcements of a new Total Immersion Event, Intruder III, airing over 4 weeks from November 5-26 at Midnight and a new micro-series made by Production I.G, which will premiere in 2017.[82] On July 22, it was announced during their San Diego Comic-Con panel that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure will air in October.[83][84] On August 12, it was announced that One-Punch Man will have a marathon on September 3.[85] It was announced on September 21, that Adult Swim would be pushed back an hour, thus starting at 9:00 PM, with Toonami being pushed back by half an hour, now starting at 12:00 AM, effective on October 1.[86] On September 23, It was announced that due to the broadcast rights expiring, on October 1, a mini-marathon of Parasyte -the maxim- would be aired from 3:00 AM to 4:30 AM, showing the final three episodes (episodes 22-24).[87] On September 24, 2016, the Moltar character was briefly reintroduced to the block for a brief commercial bumper to pay tribute to the passing of C. Martin Croker.[88] On September 30, it was announced that Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans will have a marathon on October 29.[89] The conclusion of Intruder III led to another new look to Toonami. On November 29, it was announced that Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 would premiere on January 7, 2017, replacing Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.[90] Also on that date, the block would air a half hour earlier at 11:30PM to 3:30AM. On December 7, 2016, Adult Swim's Toonami's official Facebook page confirmed that the Funimation English dub of both Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters would air simultaneously on the block starting on January 7, 2017 at 11:30PM and 12:00AM respectively.[91][92]

On December 2, 2002, Toonami premiered on Cartoon Network Latin America, replacing a similarly-themed block, Talisman. Toonami aired shows that were already on the lineup such as Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, and Pokémon, and served as the home of Inuyasha. Over the years, Toonami added shows such as YuYu Hakusho and Saint Seiya, as well as the revamped versions of Cyborg 009 and Astro Boy. However, the block had to move to the late-night slots on CN Latin America, due to protests of violent scenes on the block. Mexico moved Toonami to midnight in October 2003, while the rest of Latin America moved the block in November 2004.

In 2005, Toonami had short-lived weekend schedules, which were later replaced by the premiere of Adult Swim in Latin America (October 7, 2005).

In March 2006, Toonami revamped its lineup to include more adult-oriented series, such as Love Hina, taking advantage of the schedule and the refusal of anime on Adult Swim, as well as to compete against anime channel Animax for new anime series. In June 2006, Toonami premiered anime movies in two monthly variations: Dragon Ball Theatricals (which had 17 different Dragon Ball movies), and Toonami Movies (general animated action movies).

In 2007, Cartoon Network cut Toonami completely. The movies were no longer aired, except for those of Dragon Ball Z. After its cancellation in Latin America on March 26, 2007, the block's programming gradually vanished. In January 2010, the block Animaction was created, showing on Wednesday evenings. This block broadcast both action programming and anime programming before it was removed in April 2011.

In its original run, Toonami proved a haven for dance/electronica music throughout its history, using original compositions, first by skater/artist Tommy Guerrero from 1997 to 1999, and then by Atlanta-based composer Joe Boyd Vigil from 1999 to 2002, many of which were compiled on the CD Toonami: Deep Space Bass in 2001 (now out of print). In 2003, DJ Clarknova (the alias of Toonami founder Jason DeMarco) took Toonami's beats (both old and new) and mixed them with sound bites from recent Toonami and Adult Swim shows, resulting in an hour-long compilation of Toonami remixes titled Toonami: Black Hole Megamix. For unknown reasons, the compilation was never published. However, the Megamix recently was hosted by Toonami Digital Arsenal, a popular unofficial Toonami multimedia site. DJ Clarknova would later release another Toonami album, entitled Toonami Supernova Megamix, on Christmas Eve 2012 and "IGPX: The Ichi Megamix", in December 2013 as a free download through the official Toonami Tumblr webpage.

Infrequently, Toonami has aired reviews of video games. These reviews, delivered by T.O.M. and occasionally S.A.R.A., are relatively short and air during commercial breaks. The reviews score games on a 1-10 system: 10 signifying an excellent game, 1 signifying a very poor game. (The scoring system was originally 1-5 until 2001.) So far, three games have been given a rating not based on the 1-10 rating system. Dropship: United Peace Force for PlayStation 2 was given a "?" rating because of many failed attempts to get past Level 6, and Slender by Marc "Parsec" Hadley of Parsec Productions was also given a "?" rating because of not finding all eight pages in time, and the fright of looking at the Slender Man. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was given an "ARRRRRR!" rating presumably because it is a pirate-themed game and TOM had not yet finished it.

On March 26, 2001, Cartoon Network launched Toonami Reactor, their first online streaming video service.[95] The three-month service featured streaming episodes from Dragon Ball Z and Star Blazers, the latter of which was an online-exclusive series. Editorial content was provided by the now-defunct Animerica Magazine, published by VIZ Media. After the three-month "trial run" was over, Cartoon Network took it offline and completely revamped it.

On February 27, 2015, AdultSwim.com launched the online show Toonami: Pre-Flight hosted by Toonami producers Jason DeMarco and Gill Austin.[102] The first two episodes premiered on a Friday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, and was then moved to Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time until September 25, 2015, when the show was moved back to Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Each episode features a series highlight, a weekly topic and other featurettes like sneak peeks at promos and spots, as well as announcements, and segments from voiceover talent Steve Blum and Dana Swanson. Toonami has also done panels from MomoCon, San Diego Comic-Con and Anime Expo which they've streamed as part of Pre-Flight either live or on tape delay.